Bare Facts: Female ~ Born 1989 ~ Mother Tsitika ~ Father Unknown ~ Children Cedar, A86 ~ ID Thick fin; curved; dip in saddle

Blinkhorn was born on 1989 to Tsitika. She's the last of Tsitika's family and until 1999, was the baby of the family.
Before going on, I have to address the issue of Blinkhorn's name. There's a lot of confusion around it. Blinkhorn can be called either Minstrel, or Blinkhorn. There are a lot of people who call her Minstrel, but her adoption name is Blinkhorn. I call her Blinkhorn because that's what I first 'knew' her as. Its sort of the same situation as A42, who can be called Sonora or Holly.
Ok, moving on! Blinkhorn was born to a family of 5, not including herself. The family consisted of her mom, her three brothers, and her older sister Clio. Blinkhorn, sadly, is the only one of Tsitika's children who never met her grandma, Nicola (A2). I'm sure her older siblings told her all about the famous matriarch! (sorry, I can't resist anthropomorphizing :)
Blinkhorn found a playmate in Clio, who is only 5 years older than her. When she was old enough to not be injured in their sometimes rough play, she joined her three older brothers.
In 1999, two things happened. Blinkhorn lost her oldest brother, Strider, in August. And her sister, at the age of 15, gave birth a little calf named Bend. Blinkhorn had become an aunt at the age of 10!
On September 6, 2001, Blinkhorn gave birth to a little calf named Cedar (A75). It was a little unexpected, since she was only twelve when she had Cedar. Most orcas give birth the first time around age 15, and Tsitika gave birth around the age of 17, Clio at the age of 15. Blinkhorn proves her independance again!
Now, Blinkhorn is 16. Since Cedar is now four years old, in a few years we can probably expect anything calf from this surprising young whale. She seems to be a good mother (she had a good teacher after all) and both she and Cedar are healthy.
I know the name Minstrel comes from Minstrel Island, and Blinkhorn definitely comes from Blinkhorn Peninsula. Blinkhorn has the honour of having been adopted by a whole company! Around 2000, Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures Ltd adopted Blinkhorn from the Vancouver Aquarium.